Govt has no concern with libel notice to Imran: aide

ISLAMABAD – Special Assistant to prime minister on National Affairs Irfan Siddique on Friday expressed the hope that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan – as a seasoned player – would definitely prove his rigging allegations in court of law in response to Rs 20 billion defamation suit, filed by former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

Talking to the state-run television, he said that if Imran still resorted violence, sit-ins and protest rallies, it would mean that he did not have any evidence of rigging. Imran should change the course of his caravan towards constructive politics by avoiding undemocratic practices and put his energies in proving those allegations in the court rather than using his resources in long march, he added.

Siddiqui said that the PTI chairman would rise to the opportunity and answer the challenge of the former chief justice. He said that the government did not want to be a party in the ongoing blame-game, adding that it had no concern with the defamation notice served to Imran Khan. But the notice provided an opportunity to Imran to prove rigging allegation, he added.

He said that Imran Khan had initially chosen a democratic way by contesting election and scoring successes but his current attitude of showing street power was not the solution as other parties also enjoyed massive street power. He said that Imran's tactics were now questionable as after making the government in a province and having been part of the parliamentary system for one year, he suddenly decided to start a movement in the name of election rigging.

"We are unable to understand his agenda when he says that August 14 will usher in a new Pakistan but then what will happen on August 15,” he added. He said that PTI must adopt democratic behaviour on the ongoing scenario when the Pakistan Army was engaged in Zarb-e-Azab military operation and whole nation is backing them.